(Clearwisdom.net) Because of the cold this winter, I unconsciously slacked off in cultivation. I like to read in my bed with the comforters around me, and I reduced my practice time. I've also missed sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight several times. Yesterday I had a dream, and I enlightened to the fact that it was Master hinting that I should stay diligent. That's why I've written this article, to remind my fellow practitioners who've also slacked off unconsciously.

I was in my bed reading the Fa around 11 p.m. one night, and I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, it was past 1 a.m. I regretted that I'd missed sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight. Afterwards I fell asleep again, and I started to dream. In the dream, I shopped for groceries, went home, and then I chatted with a coworker. Suddenly a frog showed up in the greens that I'd bought, a frog with two white stripes. I was very frightened and asked my coworker to drive it away. My coworker drove it from the greens, but it climbed the curtain of my bed and stayed there. I started to send forth righteous thoughts to clear it up, but no matter what I did it wouldn't go away. If we do well in cultivation, evil won't dare approach. That frog was with a giant demon; how dare it invade my home? I realized how I'd slacked off recently and that I hadn't paid attention to doing the three things well, and so it dared to interfere with me. The moment I realized this, the frog fell to the floor and lay there. Then I was awakened by my alarm clock.

"This instant is precious beyond measure." How could I be so sluggish in this final instant? How could I still take this for granted? In "Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005" Master said,

"And so it is that when circumstances ease up, one is prone to becoming lax; when the pressure lets up it leads a person to feel relaxed and not make every minute count as before. But that's not acceptable. The fact is, you are cultivators, and you can't afford to cease being diligent no matter what kind of circumstances you encounter. The more relaxed or comfortable things get, in fact, the more serious is the test you face. Regardless of how the situation may change, the terms of cultivation and the cultivation state required of you will never change, and for this reason you cannot let up."

We really can't waste any more time. We have to do well on the last part of our path.

December 11, 2005